So what do I believe, anyway? Part 1

So in the last post, I talked a bit about what I don't believe.  I'd like to talk now about what it is that I do believe.

Basically, I believe in the Gaia Hypothesis.  I believe that everything on the planet -- alive and inanimate -- are caught up in and bound together in a ever-changing, self-regulating system.  To me, that means we are tied, not just to each other, and not just to other living beings, but to literally everything on the planet through a web of biological, chemical, and spiritual ties.  Does that mean that the planet is alive?  Does the pancreas know that the body is alive?  I don't think so, but then again, I'm not in a position to know that kind of thing.

I believe that since we are tied to all things on the planet, we have responsibilities based in our shared relationship to those things.  Those relationships vary depending on the kind of relationship we have.  The relationship that my sister and I share is different than the one that the Grand Canyon and I share, and thus my responsibilities to my sister are different than my responsibilities to the Grand Canyon.  I also believe that when a responsibility is neglected or ignored, those consequences will reverberate throughout the web of ties and end up harming us.

So far, so good.  But my theories break down at the precise responsibilities I have toward things like the Grand Canyon, and even life forms like lichens.  Certainly I should try my best to do them no harm, and to actively reverse harm where it occurs, but does my responsibility extend beyond that?  How?  I don't know, and that is part of what I am trying to figure out.